Accuracy is everything. Tracking isn't that difficult and a cannon isn't necessary to harvest a deer.

I have killed many but I never had a blood trail. I should have experimented with bullets and believe I was shooting the heaviest soft points I could find but it’s been more than 30 years ago and things are a bit fuzzy. What made me quit using it was when I thought I missed a buck at 50yards and then as it crossed a dike and turned and gave me another shot at a hundred yards at a run. There was around a foot of snow and I found nothing at the first shot and what looked like a small piece of gristle, no blood, at the second shot. I had all but gave up and stopped to take a leak and I looked over and seen an antler sticking out of the snow. I thought some slob shot a buck and never found it, so I went over and grabbed an antler and my buck came out of the snow. I looked at the tracks and it came wide open started staggering and nose dived under the snow. After it crossed the dike and went out of sight I heard the cattails rustling and thought it went in them, but it never did. I had hit it both times double lung the first and just above the rib cage behind the shoulder the second shot. I couldn’t even get blood on my finger from either exit wound, and after that bought a different caliber so I always had a blood trail for tracking.

Yep, but some standard 14 twist barrels don't shoot them well.
A standard 55 soft point will work fine with proper rib cage shots.

55 gr ballistic tip last one I shot with 22 250, it was about 50 yards out, lunged it and it ran about 50 yards after. If do use it i rather head or neck shot.

I hand loaded 63 GR. Sierra BTHP. Chest shot them all. Never lost one.

I've shot deer with 22 250 and have helped recover some shot with it and 223. It's like catching 8 lb bass on 4 lb line it can be done. What I don't like about them the most I'd no blood trail is likely. Also limited range and very limiting on shot angles if your being ethical.

No you don’t. If you can’t see it go down there will be that one trophy deer you loose because it ran. No blood trail. Remember the thread about 243 and lack of blood trail? That problem is 10 fold with a 22 caliber rifle. I didn’t say it won’t kill one. 22 lr killed ton of deer. I bet gentleman killing truck loads of caribou is shooting them where he can see 300-500 yards

I finally found some common ground with James.

Lol...he will change his mind now...

I have killed LOTS of deer with 22 caliber. Like 62 grain Barnes X bullets. In Texas is very common to NOT need some big gun to kill deer. People have excellent Marksmanship down here. Know guys that kill big mule deer every year with 204 Ruger. Seen it kill. Does well. Seen 350 lb axis deer fall DRT. I have killed 100s of deer with everything from a 22 rimfire to a 338 Lapua. Accurate shots. Are all that matter

Holy crap Steel Traps.
You purposely trying to stroke out jbyrd?

22s are too small said the bow hunter.
30-30s too.

It's not about whether a round will kill an animal it's about the limitations each round has to do it ethically, ie shot placement, range and hunter ability. Central nervous system shot are smaller targets and are the only placement that consistently make drt kills, which limits ranges and shot angles. Here you need a blood trail to consistently find harvested deer shot through heart or lungs in alot of hunting situations.

The real discussion should be about what ethical limitations each cartridge has and then each hunter should be able to honestly be able to judge there own abilities. I don't place head shots on deer as ethical because it such a small target that is possible to move farther than the size of the target in less time than it takes for u to decide to pull the trigger and the bullet to arrive on target.

If a 22-250 is a good deer cartridge a 22 mag by the same standards is a good coyote round but I bet most serious coyotes guys arent going to take them coyote hunting, particularly if you have to kill a livestock killer and have to recover it.

My first 20+ deer and all the kids I take out mentoring are all killed with a 22-250. Nothing fancy, 55 gr. soft point bullet @ somewhere around 3600-3700 fps. Shoot them in a pie plate area of the vitals and if they aren’t DRT, they tip over within sight. The hemorrhagic effects of the impact at such high speed ruptures any vessels nearby. Often times will pass through the chest cavity if held just behind the front shoulder. What is found upon field dressing resembles soup in the area above the diaphragm. Very effective hunting round if you know how to shoot consistently.

Mmm ok thanks everyone this there is very enlightening

62gr Barnes TTSX.
Deer won't go any further than if it was shot with a 30-06.

Those Barnes bullets are a mean load... loaded some from dad's 270 because the bullet he had were deadly accurate but wouldn't exit. The guy taught me to reload told me to reload him some Barnes, exit size of a baseball next deer he shot

69 gr Sierra BTHP lung shot!

My goodness. Your first sentence is hard to read. I believe I know what you mean, though!

Chris

My last 22/250 is a little different. I lost interest in a Remington model 7. I dropped it off at Krieger and had them spin, cut and install one of their barrels in 22/250, 6.5 inch twist. I settled on Berger 90 grain VLD. No deer have succumbed to that combination. Just Wyoming antelope.